Six months after her “Guts” album came out, Olivia Rodrigo is offering fans a refresher, with a new video — for the song “Obsessed” — and a previously unheard track, “So American,” drawing eyes and ears to the “Guts (Spilled)” deluxe edition.
Both the music video and the expanded digital version of the album were released as the clock rounded midnight on the east coast Friday morning. “Guts (Spilled)” offers the Rodrigo faithful five additional tracks they weren’t able to stream until now — four of which had previously been available only as part of very limited vinyl editions, and the fifth of which, “So American,” was more recently recorded and never before released in any form.
“So American” will be intriguing to fans as it’s a rarity in the two-album Rodrigo catalog to date: a straight-up love song, as well as a fast-paced banger. Rodrigo seems to be singing the praises of someone not from these United States: “He laughs at all my jokes / And he says I’m so American / …Oh, God, I’m gonna marry him / If he keeps this shit up / … Think I’m in love.”
The Mitch Ryan-directed music video for “Obsessed” finds Rodrigo adrift in a hotel ballrom area full of competitive pageant queens who, the viewer may gather, have dated the same fellow Rodrigo is fixated on. Among the writing on the women’s sashes are such titles as “Miss Thought She Was the One,” “Miss Also Thought She Was the One,” “Miss 2 Summers Ago,” “Miss Mom’s Favorite” and “Miss Still His ‘Closest Friend.’”
Obsession with guys past isn’t synonymous with mopeyness, though, in Rodrigo’s video world, as her straight-faced expression during the verses gives way to guitar shredding and streamers in the more frantic choruses. At the end, still in her black gown, she’s assumed clean-up duties after the party has ended.
Although “Obsessed” is one of the four songs that had previously been out only on vinyl, it’s already become practically a staple of her catalog, even before the music video and streaming availability. The track (co-written with St. Vincent as well as her usual collaborator, Dan Nigro) had been a hidden bonus track on the standard, not-so-limited vinyl version of “Guts,” and, naturally, had been redistributed widely among fans. Moreover, Rodrigo had made “Obsessed” seem like a key part of her ouevre when she included it in the setlist for her current tour.
The other three bonus tracks that have been transported from limited-edition vinyl to this new streaming deluxe edition are more acoustically oriented — “Girl I’ve Always Been,” “Scared of My Guitar”and “Stranger.” Two of these are more on the mournful side: In “Scared of My Guitar,” she’s wanting to keep a distance from her chosen writing instrument because “I can’t lie to it the same way that I lie to you.” In “Stranger,” she seems to be describing a favorite mistake, singing, “I’ll love you ‘til the end of time” even though “You are the best thing that I’ll keep so far out of my life.” “Girl I’ve Always Been” is a more playful kiss-off, though, one that suggests Rodrigo might have a country record in her.
Currently, the deluxe “Guts (Spilled)” is a streaming- and download-only digital release. But a 2-LP version pressed on “splatter”-colored vinyl is up for pre-order at her webstore, billed as a limited edition. Rodrigo has had to get in line at the overbooked pressing plants with everybody else, apparently: The listing says the deluxe-edition records won’t ship until July 19.
Previously, the bonus tracks — minus “So American” — had been bundled together on the 7500-copy Record Store Day EP “Guts: The Bonus Tracks.”
